Exploring how statistical analysis can be manipulated in politics, with conflicting agency data influencing policy decisions. Anecdotal insight from the White House underscores the significance of diverse perspectives and reliable data in shaping policies.
There's often a gap between the textbook treatment of statistics and the cookbook treatment--how to cook up the numbers when you're in the kitchen of the real world. Jeremy Weber of the University of Pittsburgh and the author of Statistics for Public Policy hopes his book can close that gap. He talks to EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how to use numbers thoughtfully and honestly.